1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a remote User Interface (UI) system, and more particularly, to a method and an apparatus for providing a remote UI to a terminal in the remote UI system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Research for enhancing home network technology has been actively advanced by many industry standard organizations, such as Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA), Home Audio-Video Interoperability (HAVi), Universal Plug and Play (UPnP), etc.
Among this home network technology, Remote UI (RUI) technology may be used by an apparatus to control a function of another apparatus in a home network. RUI technology is based on client-server architecture, in which a user may control an RUI server through a UI of an RUI client.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a conventional remote UI system.
Referring to FIG. 1, the remote UI system includes a remote server 100, i.e., an RUI server, a first terminal 110, and a second terminal 120. The second terminal 120 controls the first terminal 110 and includes a UI Control Point (UICP) 121 for discovering the first terminal 110. For example, the UICP 121 is a logical entity. Alternatively, the UICP 121 may be located outside of the second terminal 120.
The first terminal 110 receives a remote server application (not shown) from the remote server 100, and a handler 111 therein executes the remote server application. The remote server application has a Remote Control Function (RCF) object for communicate with an RCF plug-in 112, and therefore, the remote server application provides a control UI to the second terminal 120 and communicates with the control UI driven in the second terminal 120.
A request of the second terminal 120 is transmitted to an embedded server 113 in the first terminal 100. The embedded server 113 transfers the request of the second terminal 120 to the RCF plug-in 112, and then, the RCF plug-in 112 transfers the request to the remote server application having the RCF object.
FIGS. 2 and 3 are signal flow diagrams illustrating conventional methods for transferring the control UI to the second terminal in the prior remote UI system, respectively.
Referring to FIG. 2, when the second terminal 120 is driven, e.g., powered on, in step 201, the second terminal 120 discovers the first terminal 110 and obtains information (i.e., Description information) about the first terminal 101 in step 202. In step 203, the second terminal 120 requests a remote UI list from the embedded server 113 and then receives the requested remote UI list from the embedded server 113. In step 204, the second terminal 120 selects a remote UI from the remote UI list. In step 205, the second terminal 120 requests the embedded server 113 of the first terminal 110 to provide the selected remote UI.
In steps 206 to 212, the embedded server 113 obtains the requested remote UI from the remote server 100 and transmits the obtained remote UI to the second terminal 120.
Referring to FIG. 3, when the second terminal 120 requests a remote server application change from the embedded server 113 in step 301, the embedded server 113 sends the remote server application change to the remote server application 114 in steps 302 to 304. In steps 305 and 306, the remote server application 114 obtains a new remote server application from the remote server 100, and drives the new remote server application in step 307. In steps 308, the remote server application 114 requests a control UI for controlling the new remote server application from the remote server 100. In step 309, the remote server application 114 receives the requested control UI from the remote server 100.
In steps 310 to 312, the remote server application 114 transfers the control UI to the second terminal 120 through the embedded server 113.
As described above, in the prior art, the first terminal 110 transfers the control UI to the second terminal 120, after there is a request for the control UI by the second terminal 120.
FIGS. 4 and 5 are screen views illustrating some problems associated with conventional methods of transferring a control UI to a second terminal.
For example, as illustrated in FIG. 4, when playback soap opera content in the first terminal 110 is over, a display screen of the first terminal 110 remains in a state that the soup opera is over. At this time, the user requests a control UI change through the second terminal 120. Then, the first terminal 110 first changes a remote server application and provides a control UI for controlling the changed remote server application to the second terminal 120.
Accordingly, as illustrated in FIG. 5, when a remote server application in the first terminal 120 is automatically changed into another remote server application without a request by the second terminal 120, a control UI of the second terminal 120 is not changed. That is, the second terminal 120 can no longer control a new remote server application operated in the first terminal 120.